ABOUT

About Sarah Failla- Life Coach

Losing weight, getting fit, and living your best life - they sound like simple goals, don’t they?

But they’re complicated.

Weight loss accountability is one piece of the puzzle, but there are quite a few others!

So many factors play into our ability to succeed: family, work demands, hormones, stress, sleep, brain chemistry, knowledge, beliefs, support.

That’s what I’ve learned from my own struggle with weight - a struggle that began when I was 18, fresh out of high school.

I come from an overweight family, and while I’d been thin in school from playing sports, my eating habits were… uninformed. Bagels with cheese whiz for breakfast, ice cream for lunch, and ‘oh, hey! I’ll drink a milkshake because it has protein!’

Uh huh.

As soon as I stopped playing sports, my weight ballooned - I gained 35 pounds in 6 months.

And for the next 10 yearsI struggled to lose it.

Life went on, because it doesn’t stop for diets (have you noticed?).

I traveled around the world doing missionary work, building wells, helping out in orphanages, mentoring small groups of women - doing whatever was needed, wherever it was needed.

Travel broadens your outlook like nothing else can, and one thing becomes very clear when you’re open to seeing it.

There is no ONE right way.

And you know what? What works for one mom in one family, or one woman with one weight loss plan - may not work for another.

We all have our own individual challenges and perfectly valid ways of addressing them.

I met my husband on one of these trips, in Kenya. We’ve been together for 16 years, have three beautiful boys (and 5 miscarriages - because that’s part of our love story too), and together have led missionary trips in several countries. Most recently, we lived in China for five years.

In China, I was still 35 pounds overweight, and not at all in shape. After having my first son, my weight loss hit a wall. So I tried Weight Watchers. That was the first time I started counting points, and it worked! Then I bought a fitness watch and it opened my mind to the connection between physical activity and burning calories.

Then a friend introduced me to the TurboJam dvd and the Beachbody workouts. They were fun.

Actually fun!

I didn’t know working out could be fun. And doable, even in an apartment. What?!

I went all in, becoming a BeachBody coach. Yes, it’s an MLM, which can have its issues, but I was really good at it. What I didn’t like was that the pressure was always on to ship women through the challenge/accountability groups as fast as possible. I didn’t get to know them, or spend time with them, or explore their personal journeys.

I didn’t get to delve into the Why behind the weight, and when you’re trying to lose 30, 60, 90+ pounds, that WHY is so important.

So I left the BeachBody business, became a certified personal trainer and Certified Life Coach, and have built a business around weight loss that takes the whole person into account.

Because losing weight isn’t just a matter of counting calories and stopping at a certain number.

If it was that easy, we could all do it.

Losing weight is just as much calories as it is...

How we handle the stresses and emotions in our lives.

Our pasts, our relationships, and the stories we tell ourselves.

What we value, what we fear, what we love, and how we connect.

Now, living in Morro Bay, California, I’m still on my own weight loss journey after having our third wonderful son. I’m re-learning what works for this body, with shifted hormones and a few more years of wisdom on it!

Losing weight and keeping it off is a moving target. But here’s what I know: The core of this journey isn’t depriving yourself. The core is loving your life, loving your family, and loving yourself.

What makes me happy at the end of the day isn’t what I saw on the scale this morning. It’s my husband and my boys. It’s traveling. It’s spending time with my friends, or reaching a personal goal that I thought was hard.

My approach to weight loss coaching is less about checking your calorie counts, and more about checking in with you. The whole you. So we can find the path to weight loss and health that works for your body, your family, and your soul.

Are you feeling that tug telling you we are meant to connect? Start by telling me a little about yourself.